


If You See A Fork In The Road...

by julio144



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction, Episode: s02e12 Asian Population Studies, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Past Drug Addiction, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:48:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29720223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/julio144/pseuds/julio144
Summary: What if, instead of running to Rich's apartment, Jeff had shown up, dripping wet and out of breath, at Annie's place?A canon-divergent AU starting with the end of Asian Population Studies.
Relationships: Annie Edison/Jeff Winger
Comments: 8
Kudos: 50





	1. If You See A Fork In The Road, Take It

**Author's Note:**

> This represents my first real attempt at writing smut, so I'm not sure if I'm any good at it yet.
> 
> If you have any feedback for me, please feel free to leave it in the comments, I'd greatly appreciate it.
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Jeff knocked on the door, rainwater dripping off him as he caught his breath. As it opened, he began to speak, "Don't say anything until I've said what I gotta say. I've known you for almost two years now, and I've never taken you as seriously as I should have. You are the strangest, coolest, most genuine person I've ever met, and the thing that scares me about you is how good you make me wish I was."

Annie looked at Jeff, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "Jesus, Jeff, get inside." As Jeff stepped inside her studio apartment, Annie stuck her head into the hallway and quickly looked around before shutting the door and locking it. "What are you doing here, Jeff?"

"I thought about what you said in the men’s room, and when I heard you asked out Rich, I guess I just realized that I don’t want things to be complicated." Jeff stood for a moment, a puddle forming at his feet as he began to shiver. "Before we get into this, can I use your shower? And do you have a dryer or something I can use for my clothes?"

"Seriously? Fine! There’s a hairdryer in the top drawer you can use to try and dry them off with. Let me grab you a towel." Annie walked over to the closet and grabbed a lilac bath towel out. 

Jeff took the towel and went into the bathroom, stripped off his soaked clothing, and turned on the shower. As he waited for the water to warm up, he began to look for the hairdryer. Jeff opened the top drawer, noting how neatly organized the various toiletries were. Conspicuously absent, however, was a hairdryer. Jeff, hoping to not have to put on wet clothes back on, and against his better judgment, opened the next drawer, finding it full of feminine hygiene products that were just as neatly organized as the items in the top drawer. Frustrated, Jeff pulled open the bottom drawer, finding a first aid kit and, sitting next to it, a bright purple vibrator. Shocked, Jeff slammed the drawer shut and hopped in the shower.

As Jeff showered, Annie worked on tidying up her apartment a bit. Though it wasn’t particularly messy, she still hadn’t been expecting company and wanted to put a few things away here and there. As she finished straightening up her vanity, she noticed that her hairdryer was sitting on the corner of the dressing table. She grabbed it and walked over to the bathroom door, knocking. "Jeff?"

"Yeah?" Jeff’s voice was higher pitched than normal.

"I have my hairdryer. I guess I forgot to put it away," Annie called through the door. "Do you still want it?"

"Yeah. Sure." Jeff’s voice had almost begun to sound strained. "Just put it on the counter."

Annie opened the door and covered her eyes with one hand. As she set the hairdryer down on the counter, she peeked through her fingers, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jeff’s body. Though the shower curtain was pulled shut and steam filled the room, she could still see his silhouette as he leaned under the running water, one hand against the wall, and couldn’t help but notice the protrusion coming from Jeff’s crotch. "Find everything okay?" Her voice took on a similarly strained and high-pitched tone.

"What? No! I mean, yes! I mean, I didn’t look for anything!" Jeff replied almost panicked.

As Annie remembered the vibrator she kept in the bottom drawer, the color fled from her face. She quickly turned and left the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Freaked out at the prospect of Jeff having seen her sex toy, Annie did her best to compose herself by finishing up her tidying. Once she was finished, she took a seat on the couch, her hands clasped in front of her nervously.

As the bathroom door shut behind Annie, Jeff felt his heart pound in his chest. Though he was still freezing from the rain, Jeff turned the shower from hot to cold, hoping to suppress his arousal. Despite his own assertion that they tried not to sexualize Annie, Jeff hadn’t been able to keep the thought of her using the vibrator from his head. As the frigid water hit him, he angled the showerhead downwards towards his groin, hoping to quell his erection. Although the idea of jerking off had crossed his mind, he was worried that doing so might cause Annie to question why he was taking so long.

Once the swelling had subsided, Jeff turned off the water and grabbed the towel Annie had given him, wrapping it around his waist after drying himself off. He wrung out each item of clothing thoroughly before plugging in the hairdryer and turning it on. Though his boxer-briefs, tank top, and socks dried out rather easily, his pants and button-down proved much more difficult, becoming, at best, warm, but still very damp. Hanging his pants and the towel on the towel rack and his shirt on the hook on the back of the door, Jeff slipped on his underwear and tank top. Jeff poked his head out of the bathroom. "Annie, I hate to ask, but do you have a pair of sweatpants or something I could borrow? My jeans aren’t drying off quickly enough."

Annie rolled her eyes. "I’ll see if I can find you something." She got up from the couch and went over to her dresser, looking through her sweats. She briefly contemplated offering Jeff a pair of pink sweatpants she’d had since middle school, but decided against it, grabbing a pair of plaid flannel pants instead. She walked over to the bathroom door and opened the door enough to stick her hand in. "Try these."

"Thanks." Jeff took the pants from Annie and pulled them on. Though they fit him around the waist just fine, they were a bit tight in the crotch and close to a foot too short on him. Taking a quick look in the mirror, Jeff did his best to style his hair a bit before exiting the bathroom. As he stepped back into the main room, Annie stifled a laugh at his awkward outfit. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Don’t you have anything bigger?"

"No, Jeff, I don’t," Annie replied curtly from the couch. "You see, I don’t just have clothes for men that are a foot taller than me lying around, typically. And if I did, well, you probably wouldn’t have to ask about it, if you were here at all, would you?"

"Fair enough. It's not like you have a boyfriend." Jeff looked around Annie’s apartment as he tried to force the image of the purple plastic phallus he'd seen from his head. "Nice place you got here…"

"Cut the crap, Jeff. You said you came here because you wanted things to not be complicated. Does that mean you’re going to stop screwing around and be honest about what you want?"

Jeff sat down next to Annie. "I guess so."

Annie laughed harshly, rolling her eyes. "You  _ guess _ so? Come on, Jeff. Don’t try and act all aloof with me. Do you want me or not?" Annie crossed her arms as she turned to look at him.

Jeff swallowed nervously. "Yes. I want you."

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Annie's face broke into a devilish grin. "Did you have a nice shower?"

"Uh, yeah. It was good. I hope I didn't use up all your hot water though."

"So you enjoyed yourself?"

Jeff looked at Annie, a bit confused. "I guess? I mean, as much as one…does…" He trailed off as he realized what she was getting at. "I'm sure you've had some  _ great _ showers yourself."

"Oh, you have no idea." Annie leaned in towards Jeff. "I'm sure you'd love to know  _ all _ about my showers, wouldn't you, Jeff?"

Jeff gulped as his erection returned, a result of both how close Annie was getting to him and the thought of just exactly what it was she did in the shower. Even worse, the pants Annie had loaned him were far too tight to allow him to hide his hard-on except by tucking it up into the waistband, and with her right next to him, there was no way he'd be able to manage that without her noticing. "Uhh…" Jeff was at a loss for thoughts, let alone words, likely a result of his body redistributing blood that normally went to his brain a bit lower down.

"Am I flustering you, Jeff?" He could now feel her breath on his neck and shoulder, even if just barely. 

Doing his best to think of unsexy things, like the stench from the inside of Pierce's casts, Jeff fixed his eyes straight ahead and focused his rapidly waning willpower. "I'm fine. Maybe I should check and see if my clothes are dry yet." The pitch of Jeff's voice rose again and the tempo increased, his words almost blending together.

"I'm sure they're still soaking wet." Annie had leaned in so far that she'd had to put one of her hands on the couch to hold herself up and as she did, the tips of her fingers brushed Jeff's thigh. "You don't want to put on wet pants, do you?"

A part of Jeff's brain briefly sparked, the comment about wet pants almost giving rational thought back control before the feeling of Annie's warm breath on his neck and her fingers brushing against his thigh took it out back and shot it. Turning to face Annie, he found his face almost touching hers, and without hesitation, kissed her. Grabbing her by the waist, Jeff pulled Annie onto his lap.

Annie let out a gasp as he did, shocked at the suddenness of the act, but glad she hadn't been forced to kiss Jeff first this time. As they kissed, she felt his hard-on press between her legs and almost instinctively began to grind herself against it.

As he felt Annie's hips begin to rock under his hands, Jeff pulled her in tighter, one hand moving to the small of her back as he used the other to remove his pants. 

When she felt Jeff pull his pants off, Annie put her hands on Jeff's chest and broke their kiss. "I'm not having sex with you tonight, Jeff."

Jeff shook his head, trying to break through the fog of arousal. "Right. Of course." He leaned forward to pull the pants back on.

"Whoa!" Annie giggled. "I said I wasn't going to have sex with you. I didn't say you had to put your pants back on." Before Jeff could answer, Annie began to kiss him again, her hand sliding down his body.

Jeff let out a small gasp as he felt Annie's hand wrap around his manhood. As she began to stroke him through his underwear, he rolled to the side, laying her down on the couch, their mouths never parting. 

Jeff's hand that had previously been on Annie's back slid around and found its way under her skirt and between her legs. Though she was still wearing her tights, Jeff could easily feel the heat emanating from Annie's crotch. Gently but firmly, he began to rub his fingers in a tight circle.

Annie moaned softly as Jeff began to tease her. Though Britta had liked to talk about the fact that Jeff had been a poor sexual partner, Annie was, as of yet, quite pleased with his performance. Hoping Jeff would feel the same way, Annie slipped her hand through the fly of Jeff's boxer-briefs and wrapped her fingers around his penis, stroking him a bit more aggressively. 

Jeff tensed up slightly as he felt Annie's hand on his bare skin. Not wanting to be seen as selfish, Jeff moved his hand and slipped it into her tights. As his hand slid back between her thighs, he felt how wet Annie had become. He pulled her panties to one side and slowly slid his middle finger inside her. He hooked it slightly to draw the tip against the front wall of Annie’s vagina.

It was Annie’s turn to tense up. Her grip tightened in both hands, one on the nape of Jeff’s neck, the other around his penis. As the pleasure built, she broke away from their kiss and pulled Jeff in tighter.

Jeff started to kiss Annie’s neck, moving from her collarbone to her jaw and back. After a while, he felt himself approach orgasm, his breath quickening and his muscles tensing. "Oh, fuck!" he grunted as he came. As his orgasm abated, Jeff redoubled his focus on Annie, alternating between stroking his finger inside her and rubbing her clit in a small circle with his thumb.

Annie arched her back, pushing her hips off the couch. It’d been quite a while since she’d had someone else make her feel this good, and though her vibrator got the job done, it had begun to feel clinical. Between Jeff’s fingers, the feeling of his stubble against her neck, and the subtle scent of his cologne that, despite having showered, still lingered on him, Annie was enraptured. "Jeff!" Annie moaned. "Jeff! I’m-! I’m-!" Before she could finish the sentence, Annie orgasmed, her thigh muscles tensing as her vagina convulsed. 

After a few moments, her body relaxed. As she did, Jeff collapsed on top of her. Both of them took a moment to catch their breath. As they lay on the couch panting, their bodies against each other, Annie began to laugh.

Jeff freed his hand from Annie’s tights and pushed himself up, looking at her. "What’s so funny?"

"I was just thinking about how you should have done that at the end of last year. Then we would have had all summer together." Annie pulled her hand from his underwear and started to wriggle her way off the couch. She got up and went over to her dresser, grabbing the box of tissues sitting on top of it. Taking one to clean her hand off, she offered the box to Jeff, who had transitioned to a seated position. "You might wanna…" She nodded her head towards his crotch.

Jeff looked down at the wet spot that had shown up. "Oh, yeah." He laughed awkwardly, taking a few tissues from the box. Pulling his boxer-briefs down a bit, he began to wipe up the mess.

As he cleaned himself up, Annie couldn’t help but peek at Jeff’s crotch. Although she’d technically caught a glimpse of it during the infamous pool game with Coach Bogner, this was the first time she’d actually gotten a good look. Though it was only the second real dick she’d seen, she thought it was a pretty good-looking tumb in a turtleneck. Plus, unlike Vaughn, Jeff waxed. 

When he finished wiping up, Jeff noticed Annie looking at his dick. "Like what you're seeing?" He grinned at her.

Annie bit the corner of her lip and quickly looked away, blushing. "Yeah," she replied sheepishly. 

"You're a bit of a pervert, aren't you?" Jeff stood up, pulling his underwear up.

Annie gasped in mock offense. "I was just admiring the view. I didn't think you'd mind."

"Oh, I don't. But I also know this isn't the first time you've gotten a peek." 

"I have no idea what you mean," Annie replied coyly. 

"So you're telling me you didn't sneak a peek during my naked pool game last year? Or last semester during the ‘bottle episode’, as Abed likes to call it?"

"Okay, I  _ may _ have snuck a peek a few times. But this is the first time I’ve gotten a good look.”

“And?” Jeff cocked an eyebrow.

Annie couldn’t help smiling as she shook her head. “It looks very nice, Jeff. Now, why don’t you get dressed? I’ll give you a ride home.”

“Sure you don’t want me to stay the night?” Jeff smirked. 

“Oh, you think it’s that easy, huh? You show up, we make out a little, and then you just get to spend the night?” Annie gave Jeff a wryly inquisitive look.

“Well, for starters, we did a  _ little  _ more than just make out.” Jeff held up his hand, his thumb and index finger about an inch apart as he walked over to the bathroom door. “And second, you live in a really bad neighborhood, I figured you might like having a little company. Plus, my clothes are still soaked.” 

“Is Jeff Winger being chivalrous? I might faint.” Annie rolled her eyes.

“You know I worry about you, Annie. I can’t help it,” Jeff replied. “But, if you’re sure you don’t want me to stay, I can walk back to campus. I don’t want you to come back home by yourself this late.” He began to pull on his damp jeans.

“Wait, Jeff. You can stay overnight. I’ll drive you back to campus in the morning.” Jeff grinned and let his pants fall to the floor. “But, you’re sleeping on the couch. I was serious when I said I wasn’t having sex with you tonight.”

Jeff smiled. “Fair enough.” Jeff walked back over to the couch and picked up the sweats he’d been wearing, pulling them on before sitting down. “So, wanna order a pizza and watch a movie or something?”

“Jeff Winger being willing to have a nice little night in with a girl he just made out with? Okay, now I really might faint.” Annie laughed. “Pizza does sound nice.”

“What, I can’t have pizza and watch a movie with a good friend? Abed, Troy, and I had movie nights all the time last year.”

“Uh-huh. And did you make out with Troy and Abed first?” Annie snarked.

“Okay, Michelle and I would watch movies together all the time too.”

“Using your ex-girlfriend as an example doesn’t  _ really _ help your argument, Jeff.”

“Okay, Annie,” Jeff replied defensively. “Maybe, I want to spend time with you. And maybe, I was hoping that if we watched a movie together, we might make out again later. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

Annie smiled. “Yep! Now, I’ll order the pizza if you want to pick out a movie!” She pulled out her phone and began dialing

“Fine.” Jeff went over to Annie’s DVD shelf and began to look through the selection. “Annie, do you have anything that doesn’t have Zac Efron in it?”

Annie put her hand over the mic of her phone. “I think I have a Clint Eastwood movie.”

“Annie,  _ The Bridges of Madison County _ does not count as a Clint Eastwood movie.” Jeff continued looking through her DVDs, finally pulling out  _ Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. _ “I would've preferred  _ Raiders of the Lost Ark _ , but this'll do.” Jeff popped the disk out of the case and put it into the player. He and Annie sat down on the couch next to each other, and as the movie began, Annie snuggled in close to him. 

About twenty minutes later, they heard a knock at the door. Annie hopped up and went to grab her purse, pulling out a few bills before heading to the door. She checked the peephole before opening the door, handing the pizza guy, a stoned-looking man with long, greasy hair, and a braided, mustacheless beard, the money. She took the pizza from him and quickly shut the door.

“That pizza guy was really creepy.” Annie set the pizza box down on the kitchen counter and opened the cupboard to get out plates.

“So you're saying he's a pizza guy?” Jeff laughed to himself. “Maybe we should introduce him to Britta.”

Annie walked back to the couch and handed Jeff a plate with a single slice of pizza on it. “Jeff!”

“Kidding! I'm kidding!” Jeff restarted the movie and began to eat his slice, picking the toppings off bit by bit. Once he'd finished, he set his plate on the floor and lay back on the couch, Annie leaning up against him. Not long after, Annie began to drift off, her head resting against his chest.

Once the movie finished, Jeff turned off the TV and carefully picked Annie up, carrying her over to the bed. He briefly debated trying to change her into some pajamas but worried about that being too far. Plus, he had no idea where her pajamas were, and didn't think it was a good idea to go rooting through her drawers again, lest he find another surprise. He tucked Annie in, and then double-checked the locks on the door before turning off the light and heading back to the couch. As he drifted off to sleep, Jeff wondered what would've happened if he'd gone to Rich's apartment instead of Annie's, as he’d originally planned. 


	2. Fiscal Obligations And Social Entanglement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeff and Annie continue to explore their new relationship. Jeff contends with issues from Pierce and Britta.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading, I really appreciate it.
> 
> I appreciate any feedback you may have for me, especially in regards to the smut, as it's something I'm new to writing.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!

Jeff watched from the driver’s seat of his car as Pierce walked out of Annie’s building and into Dildopolis. Shuddering as he tried not to think too hard about what the old bastard was getting at a sex shop, Jeff exited his car and headed towards the door. As he was about halfway there, a familiar, irritating voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Jeffrey?” Pierce waved to him from the doorway of Dildopolis. “What are you doing here?”

Jeff briefly considered running before turning to look at Pierce. “I was going to ask Annie if I could take a look at her Anthropology notes. Do I want to know why you’re here?”

“Oh, um, well, I was just stopping by Dildopolis here to check the film selection. I haven’t had a chance to peruse the new location’s library,” Pierce replied, looking around, as if for an escape route. “Annie lives in this building? She really should look for a better place. This is a terrible neighborhood.”

Jeff squinted at Pierce, tilting his head to one side. “Yes, it is. She really should.”

The two men stood in silence, staring at each other suspiciously. “Well, Jeffrey, I should get going. We should do this again sometime.” Before Jeff could respond, Pierce turned and shuffled off.

“What the hell just happened there?” Jeff mumbled to himself as he headed inside. As he made his way inside, Jeff noticed a burly, unsavory-looking man with a shaved head standing in the stairway. The man smiled at Jeff as he passed, sending a shiver down his spine. When he knocked on Annie’s door, he heard her yelp in surprise before opening the door. Jeff stepped inside, shutting the door behind himself as he wrapped an arm around Annie’s waist, kissing her passionately.

Annie’s hands found their way to the back of Jeff’s neck as she kissed him back, pulling him in close. This was the third time Jeff had come over in the week since he’d shown up, soaked from the rain, and each time, he’d greeted her the same way. Though they’d both agreed to hold off on having sex, they’d found plenty of other ways to enjoy themselves. Combined with the fact that they were also keeping their little rendezvous secret from the group, for a variety of reasons, Annie felt positively wicked. It also didn’t hurt that the secrecy reminded her of when Jeff had first started dating Professor Slater the previous year, and she hoped that, with any luck, things might progress down a similar path, though hopefully with a better ending. 

When Jeff finally broke his lips from hers, planting one last kiss on the corner of her nose as he did, Annie had to take a moment to catch her breath. “Did you miss me that much? It’s only been a couple of hours since we’ve seen each other!” She smiled at Jeff before walking over to the couch, throwing the coat she had still been wearing over the back. 

Jeff grinned at her impishly. “I’d greet you like that every time I saw you if I didn’t think it would end with Britta beating me to death.” He walked into the kitchen and grabbed himself a glass of water. 

“I don’t think Britta would physically hurt you. She’s not really the type to resort to violence. Shirley, on the other hand…”

Jeff laughed. “True. Of course, you’re the one with the mean right hook, so as long as you’re willing to protect me, I should be okay.” He walked over and sat down next to Annie.

She plucked the glass of water out of Jeff's hand and took a sip. “Aww, Jeff, how'd you know I was thirsty?”

Jeff reached to grab the glass back from Annie, causing her to lean away from him, attempting to keep it away from him. Unfortunately for her, Jeff's reach was greater than she'd planned for, and he was able to get his hand on it. As they playfully wrestled for the glass, the water spilled out onto Annie, soaking her blouse.

She gasped. “Jeff! Look at what you did! Now I need to change my shirt.”

“Oh no,” Jeff replied sarcastically. “My plan certainly wasn't to get you to take off your shirt. I swear.” He grinned down at Annie.

She relinquished her grip on the now empty glass and wriggled her way out from under Jeff. Unbuttoning her blouse and tossing it in the clothes hamper, Annie looked in her closet for a new shirt to put on.

Jeff slid from the couch, leaving the glass on the floor, and walked over, slipping a hand under Annie's camisole, gently cupping her breast.

“Jeff!” She turned around, playfully swatting his chest. “You promised we would actually study this time!”

“Technically, as anthropology is the study of humanity, and we represent arguably the two finest examples of humanity, fooling around does count as studying.” Jeff pulled Annie in tight.

The proximity to Jeff caused her to flush, and she almost gave in to his charm. However, she managed to focus herself and pushed away, her hands planted on his chest. “Nice try, Mister, but we seriously need to study what’s in the textbook. Professor Duncan is really stepping up his teaching this semester. I mean, have you seen how many dioramas are on the syllabus?”

“Yeah, Ian’s much more fun to have as a teacher when he’s drinking,” Jeff opined. 

“Jeff! I thought Professor Duncan was your friend! You should be happy that he’s trying to take better care of himself.” Annie slipped a Greendale hoodie on.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that Ian’s turning his life around. I just would have preferred that he do it when he’s not teaching a class I’m enrolled in.”

Annie shook her head, rolling her eyes as she pulled out her anthropology textbook and notes. “Oh, um, did you run into Pierce on your way up?”

“Yeah, I did, why?”

“He kinda stopped by before you got here. I think he followed me from Greendale. He gave me a check and wanted to talk to me about his role in the anti-drug play” Annie explained.

“He did what?!” Jeff reflexively clenched his fists. “He tried to pay you to change your play?”

“Jeff, relax. He gave me a check to help cover my rent. I mentioned that I was a little short this month and he offered to help me out. I don’t think he wants me to change the play. It’s just, you know how he can be.”

“Yeah. I do,” Jeff fumed. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow. This is ridiculous. If he thinks he can just pay you to change your play, he’s crazier than I thought.”

“I think he just wants to feel useful. I mean, it’s got to be hard for him, being so much older than the rest of us. And we do exclude him from stuff a lot.” Annie tilted her head to one side and fluttered her eyelashes at Jeff. “Please try to be nice.” 

Jeff sighed, his eyes scrunched in frustration. “Fine! You’d think I’d be immune to those damn Disney eyes by now. But no, disappointing you is still impossible. It’s like shooting Cinderella in the back of the head execution-style with a shotgun under a bridge in the Bronx.” Jeff briefly worried that he may have been slightly too descriptive there. “I’ll be nice to the old coot, for you.”

“Thank you, Jeff. It shouldn’t be too hard for you. Just put that silver tongue of yours to work.” Annie smiled at Jeff.

Jeff grinned at Annie. “Fine, but you’re going to have to take off those tights first.”

Though Annie gave Jeff a disappointed look, a small smile crept across her face. “You promised we would study first, Jeff.”

“I’m not hearing a no,” Jeff replied, taking a seat on Annie’s bed.

“You’re right. You’re not. But I’m not seeing any studying, either.” Annie tossed Jeff her anthropology textbook, catching him square in the stomach. “Let’s start with Chapter 5: Courtship Rituals, Marriage, and Sexual Relationships.” She grinned at him

Shortly after midnight, Jeff fell backward onto the bed, groaning loudly. “Can we  _ please _ take a break, Annie? We’ve been studying for hours. If I have to read the words endogamy and exogamy anymore I might go insane.”

Annie set her notebook down. “Fine, Jeff. We can take a break. I think you’ve earned it.” She stood up and began to shimmy out of her tights.

Jeff gave her an inquisitive look. “Have something special in mind?”

“You said I’d need to take off my tights if I wanted you to put that tongue of yours to work.” She grinned at him as she also slipped her panties off, tossing them onto the bed next to him.

Jeff stood up and grabbed Annie, throwing her onto the bed. Just as he was about to climb on top and start kissing her, an idea formed in his head. “Close your eyes for a minute!”

“Jeff? What are you…?”

“Just, close your eyes.” 

Annie waited, her eyes closed for a minute. At one point she thought she heard the sound of a drawer being opened, though she wasn’t sure. “Can I open my eyes yet, Jeff?”

“Not yet.” Jeff gave Annie a quick but passionate kiss before sliding down. He quickly began to pepper her thighs with kisses, slowly working his way up towards her crotch. As Jeff placed a kiss between her legs, Annie let out a soft half-gasp, half-moan.

“Jeeefff.” Annie gripped Jeff’s hair gently as his tongue began to flick across her. Though his stubble was a bit rough against her thighs, she found the sensation enjoyable none-the-less. Suddenly, she felt something hard enter her, vibrating at a low frequency. “Jeeefff!” Annie began to moan louder, her thighs beginning to tighten as she felt the pleasure build in her. “I’m gonna...!” Her hips arched off the bed and she pulled Jeff’s hair as she came, causing him to grunt.

Jeff gave Annie one last kiss between the legs before climbing up and giving her a kiss on the mouth, doing his best to smooth down his hair as he did. “So I take it I did a good job?”

Annie panted hard. “Oh god. Jeff, that was incredible.” She smiled at him, her eyes unfocused. “I was wondering if you’d seen my...um...aid when you came over that first time.” Annie blushed, her already flushed cheeks turning practically crimson.

“I hope you don’t mind.”

Annie giggled. “No, I don’t mind, I was just surprised.” She managed to sit up and slipped her underwear back on. “Now, I think we should try and get a little bit more studying done. Maybe we can take another study break in a bit.” Annie kissed Jeff on the cheek.

“Fine,” Jeff replied, picking the textbook up off the floor. 

Annie smiled. “Now, where were we? That's right! Chapter 6: Intratribal Conflict.”

* * *

Jeff woke up early the next morning, his arm wrapped around Annie as the sun broke through the window. They’d studied for another couple of hours after their first break before finally calling it a night. As they were both exhausted, Annie let Jeff spend the night. Though he’d originally planned on sleeping on the couch again, Annie told him he could sleep in her bed with her, especially since his legs hung well off the end of the couch. As he carefully climbed out of bed, he grabbed his phone from the nightstand. Looking at it, he saw a series of texts from Britta, as well as several missed calls, which explained why it had been going off constantly the previous night:

» _ Hey, you up? I’m coming over. _

» _ Hey! Let me in, jackass! _

» _ What the hell, Winger? Are you ignoring me? You haven’t texted me since New Years’. _

» _ Fuck you, you giant douche. _

He chuckled at the texts, both because he had almost completely forgotten about his and Britta’s arrangement, and because of how needy she’d gotten when he didn’t answer right away. He did figure that he should break things off, though, since he wanted to make things work with Annie, and that would never happen if he kept on hooking up with Britta.

» _ Hey, sorry. Had an early night last night. I meant to talk to you about this earlier, but I think we should call it quits. _

Jeff hit send on the text and then went over to Annie’s kitchenette. As he began to brew a pot of coffee, he felt his phone vibrate. Pulling it out, he was surprised to see a text from Britta, given that it was just after 7:00 in the morning and she wasn’t usually up until closer to 8:30 during the week. The single word she’d replied with made him chuckle despite himself:

» _ Asshole. _

He figured she’d probably be pissed off, but also knew she’d get over it sooner or later. Yeah, he’d probably get some extra heat from her until then, but it’s not like that was anything new. When the coffee finished brewing, he poured two cups, mixing two packets of Equal and some peppermint creamer into one, leaving the other black. Walking back over to the bed, he noticed Annie sit up, staring at him.

“Good morning,” he greeted her as he handed her the doctored mug. “Two equals and creamer, right?”

“G’morning,” Annie replied, smiling at him blearily as she took it from him. She blew across the top of the cup slowly before taking a small sip.

“How’d you sleep?” Jeff looked out through the barred window above the bed, making sure his Lexus was still in the parking lot and wasn’t missing any parts.

“Incredibly. You really know how to wear a girl out.” Annie took another sip of her coffee. 

“What can I say? I’m a very talented man.” Jeff grinned before heading back to the kitchen, setting his now empty mug in the sink.

Annie looked at him, tentatively biting her lower lip. “Did you, um, want to stay for breakfast? I could make pancakes.”

Jeff smiled back at her. “I should go home and change. If I show up at Greendale wearing the same clothes as yesterday, I know Abed will say something. And you know how suspicious Britta gets whenever she thinks I’m hooking up with someone.”

Annie looked down, dejected. “Oh, yeah. I guess that makes sense.” A thought formed in her head, and in her still half-asleep state, she blurted it out: “Maybe you could keep some clothes here. That way if you end up staying over unexpectedly, you don’t have to worry about anyone getting suspicious  _ and  _ you can stay for breakfast.”

Jeff looked at her, surprised. “You want me to keep some clothes here?”

Annie finally processed what she’d just asked of Jeff and her brain kicked into gear, working to come up with a good explanation. “I just mean, from a practical standpoint, it makes sense for you to have something here to change into. If you don’t want to, I won’t be offended or anything, I just thought you might like not having to worry about it.”

Jeff smiled. “No, I think that’s a great idea. I was just a bit surprised by the suggestion.” He walked over and kissed Annie on the forehead before putting his shoes on and heading for the door. As he gripped the knob, he stopped and looked back at her. “Hey, I was thinking, after the Valentine’s Day dance, maybe we could go to my place for once? I could make you dinner, we could watch a movie, and then, if you wanted to stay over, you could get a good night’s sleep without being woken up at 2:00 AM by Dildopolis’ Night Owl Deals.”

“You mean, like an actual date?” Annie looked at Jeff hopefully. 

“I don’t mean  _ like _ an actual date. I mean an actual date, Annie.”

She poorly suppressed a squeal. “I would love that!”

“Then it’s a date.” Jeff gave her one more smile before opening the door and stepping out into the hallway.

As the door shut behind Jeff, Annie flopped backward on the bed, smiling so broadly it almost hurt. She couldn’t believe how well things were going. Not only was she fooling around with  _ Jeff Winger _ , quite possibly one of the most handsome (and sweetest, not that he’d ever openly admit to it) men she’d ever seen, Zac Efron notwithstanding, but he had actually asked her over to his place for an actual date! She hadn’t felt this giddy since Levi Appelbaum had kissed her in the coat closet at her Bat Mitzvah. After a minute, she realized that Jeff hadn’t been able to lock the door behind himself and scrambled to do so just as she heard Spaghetti wander past.

* * *

After lunch, Jeff found Pierce sitting on one of the couches in the study room, fiddling with his calculator. When he entered, Pierce looked up. “Jeffrey! I was just about to come find you! I was hoping we could get a cup of coffee and catch up.”

Jeff gritted his teeth, forcing a smile. “That sounds like a fantastic idea, Pierce. I was actually hoping to talk to you about something.”

“Wonderful! I’m always saying you should talk to me more! Now, should we go get some coffee from the cafeteria, or maybe we could go to this new coffee shop nearby. It’s named after some sort of animal…”

“Starbucks?” Jeff gave Pierce a concerned look.

“No, no. Not Starbucks. But it’s like a buck. Elk? Moose?” Pierce began to stare into space blankly.

“You know what, Pierce? Let’s just go to the cafeteria,” Jeff interrupted.

“If you insist,” Pierce replied. As he stood up, he popped something into his mouth.

“What was that?”

“What was what?”

“You just put something in your mouth.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Pierce, I saw you put something in your mouth. What was it?”

“A mint?”

“Pierce, if it was a mint, why didn’t you say that, to begin with?”

“I don’t know.”

Jeff looked at Pierce, confused and deeply concerned. “Pierce, are you still taking those pain pills?”

“No, Jeffrey, I am not still taking pain pills. Why would I take pain pills if I’m not in pain? And stop giving me that look!” Pierce raised his voice.

“What look?”

“That look you give me like I’m some sort of crazy old man who can’t get erections!”

“What?!” Jeff briefly debated walking away, but, as he was doing this for Annie, he suppressed the urge. “You know what, forget I said anything, Pierce. Let’s go get that coffee.”

“Sounds like a plan, Steely Dan.”

Jeff and Pierce walked to the cafeteria together, Jeff doing his best to tune out Pierce’s various comments, which ranged from bizarre but functionally harmless, to concerningly senile, to racist, sexist, homophobic, or some combination thereof. Once in the cafeteria, Pierce informed Jeff that he’d left his wallet in his car, and so Jeff begrudgingly agreed to buy them both coffee. After buying them each a small black coffee, which a passing Professor Whitman made a snarky comment about, Jeff returned to Pierce, only to find the older man seemingly having a conversation with no one.

“Here’s your coffee, Pierce. Who are you talking to?”

“Who are  _ you _ talking to?” Pierce replied accusingly.

“You, Pierce. I said your name and everything.”

“Oh, right.”

Jeff sat down. “So, Pierce, I was talking to Annie yesterday, and she said you stopped by her apartment before I got there.”

“Oh, well, I saw her head inside while I was at Dildopolis, and figured I’d say hello.”

“But when I mentioned that I was there to see Annie, you acted like you didn’t know she lived above Dildopolis.”

“Did I? That doesn’t sound like something I’d do. I’m always saying you guys should tell me where you live more often. I feel like I don’t know what anyone else in the group does outside of school.”

“Pierce, Troy lives with you. And more importantly, I know you gave Annie a check, so cut the crap and tell me what you’re trying to pull!”

Pierce’s eyes went wide for a moment. “Okay, Jeffrey, you caught me. I went over to Annie’s apartment because I was worried about her. When she mentioned being worried about not being able to cover her rent, I offered to help her out. She’s my favorite, and I didn’t want her to end up on the street.”

“So you offering her that money had nothing to do with your role in the anti-drug play?”

“Of course not! I would never try and pay Annie to compromise the message of her play. And I am INSULTED that you would even ask me such a thing!” Pierce stood up, indignant.

“Pierce, sit down. Look, Annie mentioned that you wrote her a pretty big check, and I just wanted to talk to you and make sure that you’re aware that while she’s okay if you do your ‘Don’t call me honey, honey’ line, she isn’t going to be making any other changes to the play.  _ And _ she tore up the check.”

Pierce sat back down. “Oh, I see.”

“She really does appreciate the gesture, she just doesn’t want to be beholden to anyone. You know how she is.”

Pierce sat in silence for a bit. “Oh. Okay. I’d probably have done the same thing.”

“I’m sure you would have, Buddy.” 

“So, what else should we talk about, Jeffrey? I’m sure I can give you some life advice,” Pierce smiled at Jeff, leaning across the table towards him. “Maybe on how to find yourself a good woman? You know, I’ve been married seven times.”

“You know, that sounds like a great time, but I actually gotta run.” Jeff stood up when he saw Britta across the cafeteria. “But we should do this again sometime.”

As Jeff walked off, Pierce called after him, “Sounds good! I’ll be here if you need me!”

Jeff caught up with Britta just outside the library. “Hey, you got a minute?”

She glared at him sourly. “What do you want, Jeff?”

Jeff looked to make sure none of their friends were around. “I just wanted to make sure you're okay with me ending things. I know it's kind of tacky to do it over text, but I just feel like it's time we both move on, you know.”

“Why do you think I care?”

“You just seemed kind of pissed at me earlier, and I want to make sure we're cool.”

Britta rolled her eyes. “You really are a piece of work, you know that? I mean, it's not like we were doing anything serious anyway, so why would I care to begin with?”

“I just didn't want a repeat of the Tranny Dance from last year. I mean, don't get me wrong, I was flattered, but I'm sort of seeing someone now, and I don't want things to get weird or anything.”

“You really are an egotistical douche, you know that? I only said I loved you because I was competing with Slater. You're not so great in the sack that every woman you bang is gonna fall in love with you, Jeff.” Britta crossed her arms. 

Jeff shook his head. “I didn't mean it like that. I just wanted to make sure there are no hard feelings or anything.”

“Oh, trust me, Jeff, there are no hard feelings whatsoever. In fact, I'm already doing my best to forget anything ever happened between us.” Before Jeff could respond, Britta turned and walked off.


	3. Mating Rituals, Psychopharmacology, And Late-Twentieth Century Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeff and Annie's Valentine's Day doesn't exactly go to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First and foremost, thank you all for reading.
> 
> Now, this chapter does drift into angst territory and deals with a very serious issue. I did my best to approach the issue in a respectful manner and afford it an appropriate level of weight and seriousness while also trying to add in some levity and doing my best to not drift into "A Special Episode" territory, as Abed would put it. With that being said, if I did make any missteps, and you are comfortable talking about it with me, I would appreciate hearing about that so I can make sure I am handling this in as respectful a manner as possible. But again, only if you feel comfortable discussing it.
> 
> As always, I welcome any feedback you may have for me.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!

The group watched as Pierce moonwalked from the Study Room.

“We gotta do something about those painkillers,” Shirley said sternly.

“He's recovering from broken legs,” Jeff replied.

“He sure is,” Troy added. “Dude can moonwalk!”

Jeff shrugged. “Plus, when I talked to him last, he said he was done taking them.”

“What, and you just believed him?” Britta glared at Jeff.

“Guys, I think we need to do something. If I had had friends like you guys when I was taking pills, I might not have ended up running through that plate glass door,” Annie said. “Intervention? Intervention?” She stopped and looked at Jeff, her eyes wide. “Intervention?”

Jeff sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Fine! I'll talk to him. But next time find someone else to do it.”

“He doesn't listen to anyone else like he does to you, though,” Abed replied.

“What about the Barenaked Ladies? You could try and get their dumb asses to talk to him!” Jeff replied. The Study Group gasped in unison.

“Whoa! Jeff, that is across the line!” Troy looked at Jeff, shocked and offended. “The Barenaked Ladies are triple platinum! Are you?”

“Why does everyone always defend those guys so readily?” Jeff threw his hands in the air in exasperation.

“Maybe it’s because they’re the greatest Canadian alt-rock band of the mid-90s, you selfish, jaded asshole!” Britta rose to her feet as she yelled at Jeff, causing the rest of the group to stop and look at her.

“You know what? Fine! I don’t want to fight with you guys on Valentine’s Day!” Jeff stood up out of his chair, looking over at Britta in annoyance. “I’m gonna go talk to Pierce. I’ll see you all later.” Jeff turned and walked out of the Study Room. As he headed for the hall to look for Pierce, he found himself confronted by Professor Duncan.

“Jeffrey! I hear you and your little study group are fighting.”

“We had a bit of an argument. Nothing serious, though. Why? What do you want, Ian?”

“Well, given that I am one of your oldest friends, and you have a gigantic TV, I was thinking perhaps I could come over this evening and we could watch Liverpool play Manchester United.” 

“I'd love to, Ian, but I have plans this evening.”

“What? Going to the dance with your study buddies?” Professor Duncan made a whipping motion, accompanied by a whip crack sound. “C'mon, Winger, let's have a proper boys’ night! You, me, maybe a pizza, and, most importantly, that giant TV of yours.”

“Actually, I had plans to have a girl over after the dance.”

“Oh, are you and Britta still sneaking off for a bit of putting the banana in the fruit salad?” Jeff gave Professor Duncan a look that was equal parts disgust and confusion. “That means sex.”

“I kinda figured that out from context. And no. I broke things off with Britta a bit ago. An act which I fear may come back to bite me in the ass. Much like telling you Britta and I were hooking up has done.” 

“I see,” Professor Duncan replied ponderously. “Does that mean that the lovely Miss Perry might be amenable to some male companionship?”

Jeff sighed, debating if he should do something to dissuade him or not. Given Britta's recent hostility towards him, Jeff decided to go the spiteful route, against his better judgment. “You know what, Ian? Go for it. Best case scenario, she's interested and that means you'll leave me alone, worst case, she slaps you and I get a good laugh out of it.”

“Excellent!” Professor Duncan clapped his hands together. “It's decided, then: we'll both go to the dance tonight, and you'll wingman me while I attempt to seduce Britta!”

Jeff looked at Professor Duncan with a mixture of contempt and pity for a moment. “Ian, since I've got you here, and I've apparently agreed to help you try and seduce my friend and former fuck buddy, I was hoping I could get your help with something.”

“Of course, Jeffrey. What might I assist you with?”

“Well, Pierce has been acting weirder than usual lately, and the group is a bit worried that he’s abusing his pain medication. Given that I’ve apparently been assigned the role of making sure no one in the group dies, I was going to talk to him and try to get him to quit taking the meds. And seeing as you're a psychologist, I thought you might have some insight on how I might go about that.”

Professor Duncan nodded pensively. “Well, my field of expertise is really more research-focused than clinical, but I could pass along a few best practices for this sort of thing.”

“Awesome. Lay it on me,” Jeff felt his phone vibrate and took a quick peek, seeing a text from Annie.

“Well, first and foremost, it’s important that whoever you’re talking to feels as though they’re not being accused of anything. If you speak to them from a place of accusation as opposed to concern or compassion, they’re likely to withdraw into themselves or become defensive. You also can’t really rush this process or force any sort of treatment on them, it has to be something they decide to do themself, willingly and wholeheartedly.” Professor Duncan thought for a moment. “Quite honestly, I’m a bit surprised that you’re the one talking to Pierce and not Miss Edison, given her own history with dependence. She might be able to give you some insight on the whole issue.”

Jeff was a bit taken aback by that last comment. He tended to forget about Annie’s history with drugs, given that she didn’t really like to talk about it much. “Okay. Thanks, Ian. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Of course. Now, shall we meet before the dance and strategize over a pint, or should we just  _ wing _ it?” Professor Duncan nudged Jeff and winked.

“Didn’t you quit drinking, Ian?” Jeff asked, ignoring the terrible attempt at a pun.

“Bit of a false alarm on that one, unfortunately. Though perhaps it’s better if I stay sober this evening. Wouldn’t want to get back to my place with Miss Perry only to find out the old boy couldn’t rise to the occasion, if you know what I mean.”

“Unfortunately, I almost always know what you mean.” Jeff felt his phone vibrate again. “Why don’t we meet up here? That way Britta doesn’t get too suspicious.” Before Professor Duncan could respond, Jeff turned and walked off towards the cafeteria. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he saw two text messages from Annie.

**Annie** » _ Hey, are you okay? We’re still on for tonight, right? _

» _ Jeff? _ 😢

Jeff stared at his phone, trying to figure out how Annie had managed to send him doe eyes via text.

**Jeff** » _Yeah, of course. I just ran into Ian and wanted to ask him something._ _  
_ » _How do you make that little face thing?_

**Annie** » _ I’ll show you tonight.  _

» _ What were you talking to Professor Duncan about? _

**Jeff** » _ I wanted some advice on how to approach this whole situation with  _ _ Pierce. He actually said you might be a good person to talk to since you  _ _ have some experience with that sort of thing. _

**Annie** » _ Oh. Umm, I guess I could tell you some of the things that would have  _ _ been nice to hear from other people when I was dealing with my  _ _ problems… _

Jeff felt a knot in his stomach begin to form. He hadn’t given much thought to why Annie didn’t like to talk about her issues with Adderall, figuring it was mostly just part of her past she preferred to forget about. Her words, however, reminded him that she had been left to deal with all of it on her own, her mom kicking her out when she decided to go to rehab.

**Jeff** » _ I’m sorry. I know it isn’t something you like to talk about. Forget I  _ _ said anything. _

**Annie** » _ It’s okay. _

» _ Just try to be understanding and let Pierce know you’re doing this because you care. _

**Jeff** » _ I'll do my best. _

Jeff looked at his phone, not wanting to leave their conversation on such a somber note, but unsure of what to say next.

**Jeff** » _ I'll pick you up at 630 tonight for the dance, okay? _

**Annie** » _ Sounds perfect! I can't wait! _

Jeff laughed a bit to himself at how eager Annie was for their date. Admittedly, he was excited too, though mostly for when they got back to his place. He had picked up a couple of Salmon fillets and was going to make his special lemon white wine glaze and garlic herb potatoes to go with them. He'd even bought a nice bottle of Moscato, figuring Annie might prefer a sweeter wine.

After wandering the halls for a while, Jeff finally found Pierce at a drinking fountain, once again talking to seemingly no one. “Pierce! Hey!” Jeff called to him.

Pierce looked around, his eyes finally settling on Jeff. “Jeffrey! My friend and I were just talking about you!”

Jeff looked up and down the hallway, trying to figure out who Pierce’s friend was. “What are you talking about, Pierce? There’s no one else here.”

Pierce looked down at the drinking fountain, nodding. “Nevermind. Forget I said anything. What can I do for you, Jeffrey?”

“Well, you know, I was just hoping to have a bit of chat.”

“Would this be like our last chat? Because like I told Annie, she didn’t need to tear up that check.”

“No, Pierce. This has nothing to do with that.” Jeff walked over to the door of a nearby classroom, checking the room and finding it empty. “Here, let’s go take a seat.” He ushered Pierce into the room, shutting and locking the door behind them. “Pierce, I’m a little worried about you and those pills. I think they might be affecting you more than you realize.”

“For the last time, Jeffrey, I’m not taking any pills!” Pierce began to stand up indignantly but immediately sat back down when Jeff motioned for him to do so. “I swear, you all treat me like I’m some crazy, impotent old coot who can’t take care of himself. Well, I’ll have you know that before I met all of you, I did just fine!”

Jeff looked at Pierce, baffled by the mention of impotence. “Pierce, no one thinks you can’t take care of yourself, we’re just worried about you. I mean, the Study Group is kind of like our Greendale family, and we just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“Oh. I see.”

“So understand that when I ask you this, it’s coming from a place free of judgment: Are you taking those pain pills beyond the prescribed dosage?”

Pierce sighed, looking down at the desk. “I’m not going to tell him.  _ You _ tell him! … Hey! You can’t call me that, you tiny pilot bastard! I’ll have you know I banged Eartha Kitt in an airplane bathroom! … No,  _ you’re _ a crazy liar!”

The concern on Jeff’s face grew. “Uh, Pierce, who are you talking to?”

Pierce looked back up at Jeff. “What? Nobody. Who are you talking to?”

“I’m talking to you, Pierce.”

“Exactly,” Pierce replied as if he’d just won an argument. “Now, Jeffrey, I promise you, as both my friend and my protégé, I am absolutely fine. I’m not taking any pills, be they for pain, or any other ailment. Well, except for my blood pressure medication. But I am most certainly not taking pain pills. Or viagra.”

“Pierce, no one thinks you’re impotent. I’m honestly not sure why you keep bringing it up.”

“Wonderful. Then it’s agreed: I can get erections just fine!” Pierce stood up and headed for the door. Before Jeff could stop him, he wandered out into the hallway.

“Well, I’m going to consider that point well and thoroughly missed.” As Jeff sat and wondered about what his next step should be on the Pierce front, Professor Garrity walked in, trailed by a small gaggle of students.

“Mister Winger, will you be joining us for  _ Singing With the Heart, Acting With the Groin: Musicals in the post-Footloose Era _ ?”

* * *

That evening, just before 6:30, Jeff parked his Lexus in front of Dildopolis and headed for the now-familiar door that led to the apartments. He briefly checked his hair in the rearview mirror before getting out, ensuring it was still immaculate. As he made his way up the stairs, Jeff passed the man he now knew as Annie’s landlord. As they passed each other, the other man smirked and gave him a lascivious wink, giving Jeff the sudden urge to fully immerse himself in bleach. Once outside Annie’s apartment, he smoothed his suit down, making sure it was pristine before he knocked on the door.

Almost before he’d finished knocking, the door flew open. Annie stood on the other side wearing a knee-length, sleeveless purple dress that was cut just low enough to show a hint of cleavage and matching flats. Her hair was down and curled slightly at the tips. She had on a light dusting of blush and her lipstick was a pale shade of pink. Her already generous eyelashes looked even longer and her eyes had a subtly smoky look to them. “How do I look?”

“Wow. Yeah…” Jeff took in the sight of her. “You look...incredible.”

She beamed at him and, standing up on her toes, gave him a quick peck on the mouth. “Let me just grab my purse and we can get going!” Annie turned back into her apartment and grabbed her purse from a hook near the door. Fishing her keys out, she joined Jeff in the hallway and shut the door behind her, carefully locking each of her several locks before double-checking that the door was secure. 

Jeff held out his elbow. “M’lady?”

Annie slipped her arm through his. “M’lord.” They made their way down to Jeff’s car, Jeff opening the door for her before taking his place behind the steering wheel. As they got on their way, Annie looked over at Jeff. “How did your talk with Pierce go this afternoon?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. He didn’t seem to be listening to me most of the time and kept bringing up the fact that he thinks we all think he’s impotent, for some reason.” Jeff shrugged. “I’m hoping I got through to him, but you know how he is.”

Annie nodded solemnly. “Yeah.” Annie looked down at her hands, wringing them nervously. “I think we need to stage an intervention.”

Jeff sighed, drumming his hands on the steering wheel. “You know, Annie, one of these days I’m going to get tired of you being right all the time.” As he pulled into the parking lot at Greendale, he looked over at her. “Do you think it can wait until tomorrow?”

Annie chewed on her lip, staring out the car window. “I guess. But we need to do it first thing, then.” She looked at Jeff, her eyes wide, almost pleading. “This is important. I’ve been in  _ that _ place, and I know how hard it is to get out of it, especially on your own. Please, I need you to trust me, this is  _ really  _ important.”

Jeff looked into her eyes. Unlike her usual doe eyes, this look was different, something he hadn’t seen before. It was vulnerable and almost desperate. And more importantly, it didn’t hold the usual undertones of manipulation. Seeing that look on Annie’s face almost broke his heart. And knowing, even if only in part, why he was seeing it on her face made him equal parts angry and protective. He took her hand in both of his, enveloping it entirely. “Okay. If this is as important as you say it is, we can do this tonight.”

Annie smiled at him weakly. “I don’t want to ruin our date.”

“Well, I won’t lie to you: saving Pierce from his pill addiction wasn’t originally part of my itinerary for the evening, but, then again, few things involving Greendale ever really go to plan. But he’s our friend and we have an obligation to make sure he doesn’t OD, I guess.” Jeff leaned back against the headrest. “How do we do this? I’ve never really done something like this before.”

“Well, normally you don’t stage an intervention spur of the moment like this. There’s a lot of planning involved. You’re supposed to write what are called impact statements, set boundaries, rehearse what’s said. But I don’t know if we have time for that.” Annie sighed. “I’ll text the group and have them meet in the Study Room. Can you keep an eye on Pierce until we’re ready?”

Jeff grimaced. “Yeah, I can do that. You might want to text Professor Duncan as well. I can give you his number if you don’t already have it.”

“It’s okay, I’ve got it already.” Annie pulled out her phone and started a group text, making sure to leave Pierce off of it. She explained the plan, and before long, she had responses from everyone agreeing to meet her in the Study Room shortly. “Okay, I’ll try to keep you updated via text and will let you know as soon as we’re ready. Until then, try not to let Pierce take any pills if you can.”

She and Jeff exited the car and headed inside, Annie walking towards the Study Room while Jeff went to the Cafeteria. In the Cafeteria, Jeff found the Valentine’s Day Dance already well underway. Slowly making his way through the crowd, he eventually found Pierce stand at a high-top table. As Jeff made his approach, he heard Pierce laughing. 

“Hey, Pierce,” Jeff said as nonchalantly as he could muster. 

“Jeffrey, my boy! You missed the lesbians!” Pierce turned to look at Jeff, his pupils contracted despite the low light. 

“Lesbians?” Jeff regretted following up on the statement almost immediately.

“Yes, Jeffrey, lesbians! Britta and that girl she's been hanging around with were dancing together just before you came in!” Pierce gestured over towards the dance floor before looking back down at the table he was next to. “I  _ am _ telling him about the lesbians! ...I know! …Okay!”

“Pierce, who are you talking to?”

“I'm talking to you, of course! Who else would I be talking to, Jeffrey?” Pierce gestured at Jeff with both hands. “You know, I was hoping to run into you this evening. You and I don't spend nearly enough time together, and I think that's a real shame. I have a lot of wisdom I can share with you, Jeffrey.” Pierce wrapped his arms around Jeff's shoulder. “For example, you should always bring sandals to an orgy. Sure it might look a little weird, but it's much better than going barefoot.”

Jeff shuddered, trying not to think about Pierce at an orgy. He looked around to see if the Dean had shelled out for a bar for this dance. When he saw that there was no alcohol for sale, Jeff temporarily contemplated just smashing his head against something as hard as he could, hoping the brain damage would give him mild amnesia. As he weighed the pros and cons of that course of action, he realized Pierce was still talking and had been for quite some time.

“-which is why you should never trust a Greek with a pocket watch.”

“That's fascinating, Pierce, truly. But why don't you tell me a bit more about what's new in your life. How is it living with Troy?”

“Oh, it’s incredible. It really is quite rewarding to be able to take a young man of Troy’s background off the streets and under my wing. I mean, there’s just so much I can teach him about the world.”

Jeff made a mental note to follow up with Troy about just what exactly Pierce had been teaching him about  _ the world _ . “That’s great, Pierce. I’m sure Troy appreciates the opportunity you’re giving him.” Jeff’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out and saw Annie had texted him to say they were as ready as they were going to get. “Hey, Pierce, there’s something I want to show you in the Study Room.”

“I was just about to suggest we blow this pop stand! Maybe instead of the Study Room, we could go to a bar and pick up some ladies?” Pierce wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“Maybe some other time. I really think we should swing by the Study Room, though.”

“If you insist. Lead the way, my boy!”

Pierce followed Jeff as he walked off towards the library. As they approached Study Room F, Jeff could see the blinds had been pulled and the doors were all shut. He knocked, and Troy opened the door. The rest of the group sat around the table, Jeff and Pierce’s spots empty, Professor Duncan sitting next to Jeff’s empty chair. “What’s going on here? Are you guys having a party without me?”

Professor Duncan stood up as Jeff moved around the table to take his seat. As he passed Annie, he gently and briefly squeezed her shoulder, drawing a suspicious glare from Britta and a brief questioning look from Abed. “Pierce, why don’t you take a seat?” Professor Duncan gestured towards Pierce’s empty chair. “We’re all gathered here because your friends are worried about you, Pierce.”

“Worried about me? Why would you guys be worried about me?” Pierce looked around confused as he sat down.

Professor Duncan sat down and Annie stood up. “Pierce, we’re all worried about you and those pain pills. We all want to make sure that you understand that we care about you and that we’re not doing this to be mean.”

Pierce looked around the table, reading the concern on everyone’s faces. As his eyes settled on Jeff, his expression changed from confusion to anger. “You put them up to this, didn’t you!?” He pointed at Jeff, his hand trembling slightly. “You want an excuse to kick me out of the Study Group, don’t you!?”

Jeff looked over at Annie, who nodded slightly before sitting back down. Jeff stood up, figuring it was the part of the process. “Pierce, I didn’t put anyone up to anything. This is something the entire group has been worried about for a while now, and we want to make sure you don’t end up hurting yourself. We want you to stay part of the Study Group, but if you keep taking those pills the way you have been, we’re afraid that might not be up to us.” 

Jeff sat back down, Troy standing up. “Pierce, you haven’t been yourself lately. I mean, last week I walked in on you trying to get ESPN on the microwave. I’m worried about you, man.”

“Oh, no. Not you too, Troy. You can’t turn on me like this. We were Batman and Shaft.” Pierce began to slouch dejectedly.

“And we can  _ still _ be Batman and Shaft, even though, again, Batman had a guy. Robin. But the pills have been making you act all crazy and Batman can’t be crazy. Right, Abed?” Abed nodded in agreement. “I know it’s been tough, especially since your mom died and everything, but we’re here for you. We’re your family now, and we want to make sure you’re okay.” The rest of the group murmured their agreement as Troy sat down.

“I keep telling you guys, Mom’s not dead, her body’s just been vaporized.” Pierce half-heartedly asserted.

Shirley stood up. “Now, Pierce, I know you and I haven’t always seen eye to eye on everything, but The Lord tells us to forgive and to look out for those around us, so please, understand that we’re doing this because we want to help you. We can’t force you to make the right choices, but we can at least show you what those choices are. And, if one of those choices just happens to involve a certain Middle Eastern handyman, I certainly wouldn’t complain. So please, Pierce, let us help you.” Britta visibly bristled as Shirley sat down.

Britta stood up. “Pierce, I’m not going to give you a sermon.” Shirley shot Britta a dirty look. “But I will tell you that I’ve seen what drugs can do to a person, good and bad. And right now, I’m seeing a lot of the bad. It’s like when my ex-boyfriend Emil took a bunch of ayahuasca and started to believe he could see people’s sins. When he finally came down, he was a different person, claiming his name was really Roger and told me he had to try and make things work with his estranged wife. We don’t want that to happen to you.”

Jeff and Annie looked at each other, unsure of what Britta’s point was. As she sat down, Abed stood up. “Pierce, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching hundreds of hours of after-school specials and PSAs, it’s that drugs aren’t cool. Drugs aren’t hip, they’re hype. And anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar.”

Abed sat back down and Annie stood up again. “Pierce, please, let us help you.” Professor Duncan handed her a pamphlet which she then slid towards Pierce. “This is the same place I went to get help with my Adderall addiction. The people there are really good at what they do, and they can really help you. I won’t lie to you, it’s not going to be an easy journey, but you _can_ do it.”

Pierce took the pamphlet and looked at it. “You guys think I need to go to rehab?” The Study Group nodded and murmured their agreement. “Well, then you can all go straight to Hell!” Pierce leaped to his feet, his chair tipping over behind him.

Jeff stood up. “Pierce! Sit. Down.” He stared at Pierce, their eyes locked.

“You can’t tell me what to do, Jeff!” Pierce stood, glaring back at Jeff. 

Professor Duncan looked between the two men for a moment. “Jeffrey, could you please take a seat?” He gestured towards Jeff’s chair. “What Pierce is experiencing right now is perfectly normal.” Jeff sat down, his jaw clenched as he turned to glare at Professor Duncan. “Pierce, would you also please take a seat? I understand that you’re angry and feel betrayed right now, but please do understand that your friends are recommending this for you out of genuine care and concern for your well-being.”

Pierce turned to pick up his chair and sat back down, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “So if I go to this rehab place, will that make you all happy? Will you finally leave me alone about these stupid pills you think I’m taking?”

“Pierce, we aren’t asking you to do this to make us happy,” Annie said, her voice quavering as tears began to well up in her eyes. “We’re asking you to do this because we don’t want to lose you.”

As Annie began to cry softly, Shirley wrapped her arm around her, pulling her into a hug. It took every ounce of self-control Jeff had to stay in his seat and not rush over to hold her or run over and punch Pierce in the face. Troy leaned across the table, gently placing his hand over Annies, while Britta began to dig through her purse, looking for some tissues. Even Abed’s normally muted facial expression appeared worried.

When Pierce recognized how upset he’d made Annie, his arms dropped to his sides and he hung his head. “I’ll-I’ll do it. Just, please, don’t cry, Annie.”

Annie looked up, sniffling. “Thank you, Pierce.” Britta finally pulled a napkin out of her purse and passed it to Annie, who used it to blow her nose. “It really isn’t a bad place to be.” She sniffled again. “And as soon as you’re settled, we’ll come to visit you every day, right guys?”

The group hemmed and hawed noncommittally before Jeff finally spoke up. “We will  _ all _ make sure someone comes to see you every day.” He shot a quick smile at Annie. “Right guys?” The rest of the group assented halfheartedly.

Annie smiled back weakly. “Professor Duncan said that he would drive you there tonight, Pierce.”

“Okay,” Pierce replied, defeated.

“Britta, why don’t you go with them?” Jeff nudged Professor Duncan under the table.

“Uh, yeah, Britta, I think it would be a fantastic idea for you to join us.” Professor Duncan added.

Britta narrowed her eyes at Jeff. “Sure, I’ll go.”

“Annie, Sweetie, would you like me to give you a ride home?” Shirley asked.

Annie looked at Jeff briefly. “Oh, umm, Jeff actually offered to give me a ride home later. We agreed to help Dean Pelton clean up after the dance.”

“ _ You _ agreed to help the Dean clean up, Jeff?” Britta eyed him even more suspiciously.

“Well, It’s less that I agreed to do it and more that Annie volunteered us, but it’s ultimately the same outcome,” Jeff replied, shrugging.

“Okay,” Britta said, unconvinced. “Professor Duncan, Pierce, are you guys ready to go?”

“Please, Britta, call me Ian. And I’m ready to go if Pierce is.” Professor Duncan looked at Pierce, who had been reading through the pamphlet Annie had given him. When he noticed, he grunted his assent and stood up, following Professor Duncan and Britta out of the room.

Shirley looked across the table at Troy. “Troy, would you like a ride home?”

“I was actually going to stay in Abed’s dorm tonight so we could watch the French version of  _ Kickpuncher _ .” Troy looked over at Annie. “Did you and Jeff want us to stick around and help with the clean-up?”

Annie shook her head. “Dean Pelton said it should really only take the two of us, so I think we’ll be okay.”

“Good,” Abed cut in. “We should start  _ L'Homme Qui Frappe Comme Si Ses Mains Étaient Ses Pieds: Ses Poings Puissants Étaient Incapables De Saisir L'Humanité  _ sooner rather than later. It’s over three and a half hours long.” Troy and Abed stood up, doing their special high-five as they left the room. 

“I guess I’ll just go home by myself, then.” Shirley sighed dejectedly. 

“Shirley, don’t you have to go take over for your babysitter, anyway?” Jeff asked.

“No, Andre’s watching the boys tonight. He’s really been trying a lot harder since he and I started working on patching things up.”

Annie grinned. “Well, you could always go spend time with Andre. It  _ is _ Valentine’s Day after all.”

Shirley perked up a bit. “Oh, Annie, that does sound like a nice way to end the evening. It’s just such a shame that you’ll be stuck here, cleaning up after the dance with Jeffrey and the Dean, instead of out enjoying  _ your _ Valentine’s day.”

“Oh, it won’t be too awful.” Annie shot another quick look at Jeff. “Maybe after we finish cleaning up, I can go find a cute guy to sweep me off my feet.”

Shirley giggled before turning to Jeff. “And I’m sure you’re going to go to some sleazy bar and find some poor, lonely girl to spend your night with, Jeffrey.”

Jeff laughed, glancing over at Annie. “Oh, something like that.”

Shirley shook her head. “I swear, Jeffrey, we need to find you a good woman to set you straight. I thought maybe Britta might have been the one to do it, but I guess I was wrong.”

“Maybe you’re right, Shirley, and I do need to find myself a good woman. I guess I just tend to attract women of a certain kind to me.” 

Annie smiled sweetly. Her mood appeared to have improved significantly in the last few minutes. “You really do, Jeff. Of course, that might be because of who you are.”

Shirley looked back and forth between the two, not quite sure what exactly their banter was all about. “Well, I guess I should get going. Should we go see Pierce first thing in the morning?”

“They usually don’t allow visitors for residential treatment patients until they’ve been there for a couple of days. They want to make sure the person gets settled and everything first. We should probably wait until at least Thursday before our first visit.”

“Okay.” Shirley grabbed her purse, giving Annie a quick hug and Jeff a mildly concerned look. “You two have fun cleaning up after the dance. And you stay out of trouble, Jeffrey.”

Jeff watched as Shirley left. Once she was out of the Study Room and he was fairly certain she’d left the library, he got up and shut the door. “Do you think she’s suspicious?”

Annie grinned at him. “Of you being up to no good? Almost certainly. Of me being involved? I doubt it.”

“Fair enough,” Jeff replied, chuckling. 

“I’m more worried about Britta. She’s been a lot harder on you lately, and I think it’s because she’s suspicious.”

“Yeah.” Jeff figured it had more to do with how he’d ended things with her, but wasn’t ready to have that conversation with Annie just yet.

“Now, you still owe me a proper date, Mister.” She rose from her chair and started to walk towards the door. “Maybe you can start by making me dinner back at your place, like you promised.” Jeff stood and watched as Annie practically sashayed out of the room, the sway of her hips almost mesmerizing. At the door, she turned and looked back at him. “Well, are you coming? You are my ride after all.”

Jeff scurried to catch up with Annie as she continued out of the library, barely resisting the urge to pick her up, throw her over his shoulder, and carry her the rest of the way to his car. As they stepped outside and the cold February air hit them, Annie shivered. Jeff almost reflexively took off his jacket, draping it around her shoulders and pulling her close to him in the same motion. Near the parking lot, they passed a group of students, including Leonard.

“Way to go, Winger!” The elderly student shouted.

“Shut up, Leonard. I know all about your genuphobia. Who the hell is afraid of knees?”

A distant look came over Leonard’s face. “If you saw what I saw in Korea, you’d be afraid of knees too, Winger.”

Jeff rolled his eyes as he and Annie continued towards his Lexus. As they got underway, Jeff glanced over at Annie. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You just seemed really upset earlier, with Pierce.”

“Oh,” Annie replied, her voice just above a whisper.

“Look, I know you don’t like to talk about what happened before you ended up at Greendale, but I want you to know you can talk to me about it. I want to be there for you. I…” Jeff debated which four-letter word to use next, worried that the wrong one could push Annie away. “care about you.”

Annie placed her hand over Jeff’s. “I know. And I care about you too. I’m just not ready to talk about it yet.” She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “But please, let’s not worry about that tonight. Okay?”

“Okay.” Jeff spent most of the rest of the drive silent, smiling as Annie sang along to the radio. When a Barenaked Ladies song came on, he reached to change the station, but Annie stopped him, a mischievous grin on her face. Despite himself, he had to admit the song was pretty catchy and even found himself humming along a few times, much to Annie’s delight. After they parked, Jeff opened Annie’s car door for her and they walked inside, arm in arm.

As they entered Jeff’s apartment, Annie leaned down and took off her shoes as Jeff lifted the jacket from her shoulders, folding it vertically and laying it across the back of a chair. “So, what are you making me for dinner?”

“It’s a surprise.” Jeff grinned at her as he headed into the kitchen. He turned on the stove and oven, pulling what he needed for dinner out of the fridge. “Can I get you something to drink while I get dinner cooking? A glass of wine, perhaps?”

“Ooh, are you trying to get me drunk, Jeff?” Annie teased.

“No! I just thought you might like a nice glass of Moscato!” Jeff realized how his offer might have come off.

Annie laughed. “Jeff, I’m messing with you. A nice glass of wine sounds wonderful.” She sat down on the couch. Jeff grabbed the bottle of wine from the fridge and opened it, pouring two glasses. He walked over and handed one to Annie. “Thank you.” Annie smiled as she took the glass from Jeff. As she sipped on the wine, Annie looked around the apartment. “You know, Jeff, you could stand to add a little color to your apartment. Right now it looks like short-term corporate housing.”

Jeff laughed, shaking his head as he began to mix the lemon herb glaze for the fillets. “Why do I get the feeling you’re going to try and turn my apartment into your next project?”

“I’m just saying, it wouldn’t kill you to make it look like someone other than Patrick Bateman lived here. I swear, if you start talking to me about Huey Lewis and The News…” She looked over the back of the couch at Jeff, grinning.

“That’s a hell of a reference there, Annie. Have you been spending a lot of time with Abed?”

“Why? Would it make you jealous if I have been?”

Jeff shook his head again, chuckling as he laid the fillets down on the skillet. Annie loved to tease him, in more ways than one. “No, but you might make Troy jealous.”

“True.” Annie finished her wine, setting the wine down on the coffee table. “Now, would you be so kind as to direct me to the bathroom?”

“The door on the right, across from my bedroom.” Jeff gestured down the hall.

Annie grabbed her purse and headed in the direction he’d pointed. Finding the bathroom right where Jeff had said it would be, she took some time to touch her make-up. Her mascara and eyeshadow had begun to run a bit, though just barely, and her lipstick was a bit smudged. When she was finished, she decided to pay Jeff back for his snooping at her place and began to peruse his bathroom. As she looked through his medicine cabinet and drawers, she was surprised at how well (for Jeff) things were organized. Though it was practically chaos compared to her own drawers, things were more or less grouped by use. After looking at the bevy of hair products Jeff owned, she found a bottle of cologne and sprayed a small amount into the air, relishing the scent that she’d long since come to associate with Jeff. Unfortunately, her investigation failed to turn up anything particularly embarrassing, though she did find the safe under the sink to be a bit of an oddity. 

Finished with her search of the bathroom, Annie poked her head into the hallway, and when she saw Jeff’s back turned as he worked on dinner, snuck across the hall, carefully opening the door to his bedroom. It was fairly sparse, a low dresser against one wall, a flatscreen TV atop it, while a queen-sized bed dominated the center of the room. As she walked towards the closet door, Annie brushed her hand across the comforter, shocked at just how soft the fabric was. She pulled the door to the closet open, finding it to be a decent-sized walk-in. She looked through the various suits and shirts that hung on either side of her, as well as the carefully organized shoe rack. Looking under the hanging clothes, she hoped to find something interesting. When the floor turned out to be barren, she looked up at the shelves towards the ceiling. Sitting on top of one, just far enough forward that she could see a corner of it was what appeared to be a shoebox. As Annie internally debated finding something to stand on so she could get a better look, she heard Jeff announce that dinner was almost ready.

She scurried out of the bedroom, quickly checking to make sure Jeff couldn’t see her. She centered herself in the bathroom before heading back into the living room. Jeff had set the table and lit a pair of candles. As Annie walked back into the room, he turned off the lights, letting the candles provide the only light. He pulled out Annie’s chair as she went to sit down and pushed it in for her.

“Wow, Jeff. I’m impressed.” Annie looked at the food on her plate.

“Well, you don’t wine and dine as many clients as I have without learning how to set a mood,” Jeff replied as he sat down. 

“I was talking about the food. This looks incredible.”

“Oh, well, my mom worked a lot when I was younger, and I liked to make sure she had dinner when she got home. And even though she never complained about it, I know she got tired of Kraft Mac & Cheese after a while. So I learned to cook.”

Annie smiled. “That’s very sweet of you, Jeff. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you had a heart.”

“Yeah, well, don’t go around telling people. I have a reputation to uphold, you know.” Annie could swear Jeff was blushing, though the low light made it hard to be sure. “Please, eat!” Jeff motioned at Annie’s plate.

She dug into the salmon and potatoes, amazed at just how good it all tasted. As she ate, she could tell Jeff was watching her, and so she made a conscious effort to acknowledge just how good everything tasted. When she finally finished off the last of her potatoes, she looked up and noticed that Jeff was also close to finished, though she hadn’t noticed him eating at all. 

Jeff cleared the table and refilled Annie’s wine glass before sitting back down. “So, how was this for both a Valentine’s Day date  _ and _ a first date?”

“It’s certainly been an interesting evening…” Annie took a sip of wine.

“Yeah, it didn’t go exactly the way I’d planned.” Jeff sighed.

“But who said the night was over?” She gave Jeff a look that caused his heart to pound and heat to spread through his body. Before he could answer, she got up, blew out the candles, and kissed him, pulling him to his feet.

As their mouths met and they groped their way through the dark towards the bedroom, Annie began to unbutton Jeff’s shirt. Jeff, in turn, unzipped the back of Annie’s dress, and she let it fall to the ground, carefully stepping over it. Once she’d finally managed to undo all the buttons on Jeff’s shirt, she began to push it from his shoulders, her mouth moving to his neck as she did. Jeff kicked his shoes off, one thumping against the hallway wall, the other flying through the open bedroom door.

The two eventually stumbled their way into the bedroom as Annie undid Jeff’s belt and pants. As they fell to the floor, Jeff unhooked Annie’s bra with one hand, the other scooping her up and placing her on the bed. As he moved to kiss her again, she fell back, letting him fall on top of her. Their hands roamed each other's now-familiar bodies as they kissed and shimmied up the bed. Annie heard a dull thump as Jeff’s head made contact with the headboard and did her best to stifle a giggle, which quickly turned to a gasp as Jeff’s hand slipped inside her panties.

As his fingers began to work their magic on her, she pushed her hips off the bed and slid her underwear off before helping Jeff remove his own. He reached into the drawer of the bedside table and pulled out a condom, ripping open the package. 

Annie grabbed his hand. “Let me.” Taking the condom from him, she slowly rolled it down his length, smiling to herself in satisfaction at the moan Jeff let out. As it turned out, she wouldn’t have needed to practice for the demonstration the Dean had asked her to put on at last year’s STD fair. Once the condom was properly placed, she slowly guided Jeff into her, this time letting out a moan of her own. 

Jeff quickly found his rhythm, one that exuded a sort of slow passion. As they made love, Jeff and Annie drank each other in, savoring every touch, and inhaling each other’s scent. The pleasure built, a perfect duet slowly building towards a crescendo. Eventually, they climaxed together, the crescendo reached, their mouths still glued together. 

As Jeff rolled onto the bed next to Annie, all they could do was lay there, enraptured and panting. Though they’d spent quite a few evenings exploring each other and had quickly learned exactly how to pleasure the other, this was different. It was as though they’d finally crossed a threshold that, though both had desperately wanted to cross, they’d held back from, and now that they’d done it, neither could quite remember why.

“Okay, now I think I can give a proper assessment of tonight’s date,” Annie said once she’d finally caught her breath.

Jeff laughed. “And? How’d I do?”

“You’ve definitely earned an A+.” She rolled over and kissed him on the corner of the mouth.

“Well, I can’t take all the credit. I did have an amazing partner on this group project.”

“And for once, she didn’t have to do all the work so you could get an A!” Annie poked Jeff in the ribs. He returned the gesture, the two attempting to tickle the other, which quickly devolved into another make-out session.

Before things got too serious, Jeff stopped. “As much as I’d love to have another go, I’m going to need some fluids if we’re going to give it a shot.”

“Or, maybe we could just cuddle.” Annie looked up at him, just barely able to make out the expression on his face in the dark room. “Don’t act like you don’t cuddle. You’ve slept in my tiny bed enough times to prove you do.”

Jeff shook his head in defeat. “You’re right, like always.” He rolled out of the bed and walked over to his dresser, pulling out a pair of boxers and sweatpants for himself and a t-shirt for Annie. He tossed the shirt over to her before removing his condom and heading into the bathroom to clean up.

Annie found her panties at the foot of the bed and slipped them back on before pulling the t-shirt on over her head. It was massive on her, coming down to her knees. She smelled it, noticing hints of Jeff’s cologne on it despite it, presumably, being clean. Annie wondered just how much of the night Jeff had planned for as she climbed in Jeff’s bed and slid between the sheets

After a couple of minutes, Jeff came back into the bedroom and joined her in bed. He wrapped his arm around her as they spooned and the now-familiar warmth of his body helped Annie quickly drift off to sleep. As Annie’s breathing slowed, Jeff placed his hand just below her breast, feeling the steady, even rise and fall of her chest along with her heartbeat. He held her like that, his own heart rate beginning to slow as he drifted to sleep himself. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope to continue this work along with the other piece I'm working on, though I don't know what that schedule will look like as of right now.


End file.
